Hong Kong Design Centre today announced the laureates of the five major awards of the DFA Awards 2026, honouring five outstanding leaders and trailblazers who have achieved exceptional success and profound impacts on the Asian and global design landscape. The distinguished awardees include Yung Ho CHANG (DFA Lifetime Achievement Award), Sonia CHENG (DFA Design Leadership Award), Wallace CHAN (DFA World's Outstanding Chinese Designer), DONG Gong (DFA Designer of the Year), and Tianyuan LI (DFA Asian Design Vanguard).
Established in 2003 by the Hong Kong Design Centre, the DFA Awards is supported by the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency under the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of the HKSAR Government as the lead sponsor. The DFA Awards this year perfectly exemplify how Asian designers look to the world while keeping Asia at heart, as all five awardees leverage their extensive overseas experience and global influence to bring forward-looking insights back to the region, setting new benchmarks in their respective fields.
As one of the first mainland scholars to study architecture abroad following China's reform and opening-up, Yung Ho CHANG laid a new foundation for Asian spatial design. Sonia CHENG applied her rigorous and analytical mindset to design Rosewood as a global luxury lifestyle brand. Wallace CHAN integrated Eastern philosophy with Western sculptural techniques, forging a patented jewellery design uniquely his own. DONG Gong harmonized profound local context with an international spatial syntax, establishing a distinctive architectural language that is at once modern and deeply rooted in Chinese cultural tradition. Tianyuan LI seamlessly combined Western automotive craftsmanship with China's cutting-edge technology ecosystem to drive Xiaomi’s electric vehicle global design strategy. Through their phenomenal accomplishments, these five masters showcase the profound global influence of Asian design strength.
Mr Steve Leung, BBS, Chairman of the Hong Kong Design Centre, said, ‘Through the DFA Awards, this year's honoured design masters demonstrate how unique Asian perspectives and creative mindsets can captivate and move a global audience. They stand as exceptional role models whose achievements inspire the creative community throughout Asia and beyond. As a global hub where East meets West, Hong Kong boasts a unique cultural heritage and inclusivity that make it the ultimate stage to celebrate and unite world-class design talent. The DFA Awards has long embraced this foundation to demonstrate the majestic strength of Asian design to the world, reinforcing Hong Kong's role as a bridge for international design exchange. At the same time, we hope to inspire next-generation designers to take these masters as role models, embrace bold innovation, and continue shining on the global design stage.’
